Already in 1880 Gustav Kraatz propagated the idea to gather entomological information and to provide it to the public: "Das Deutsche Entomologische National-Museum will Sammlungen und Bibliotheken, besonders deutscher Entomologen, vereinen, verwalten und allen Entomologen zugänglich machen, um so ein rein entomologisch verwaltetes Zentrum der deutschen Entomologie zu schaffen [The Deutsche Entomologische National-Museum wants to combine collections and libraries, especially of German entomologists, to manage them and to make them accessible to all entomologists in a exclusive entomological managed Centre of German Entomology.]" (Kraatz, 1880).

Accordingly, the institute has in the course of time collected not only insects, books, periodicals and reprints, but also biographies and portraits of entomologists. Furthermore, archive material and bibliographies of entomological relevance have, for example, also been collated. These sources of information allow not only access to existing material. They are also valuable, for example, in preparing new bibliographies. In a similar way, they were and still are a fundamental resource for the preparation of scientific journals, series and monographs which on the one hand publicise the existence and scope of these collections and on the other allow the continuous expansion of the library's stock, through international exchange of literature.

work together with the team of the Department for Phylogenetic Systematics and Taxonomy of Insects on the collection, preparation, storage and presentation of current entomological information and thereby pursue the ideas and aims of the institute's founder.

As specialized information, the institute makes available various types of media that can be useful in the organisation of entomological knowledge.